Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Ali Cheetham is a Research Fellow with the Monash Addiction Research Centre and Hamilton Centre, Statewide Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She completed her PhD at The University of Melbourne in 2013, and has worked at Turning Point (Eastern Health) since 2012.
Her contributions to the field of addiction research span a range of areas, including new models of care for opioid dependence, integrated care approaches for co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders, identification of risk factors for substance use problems in adolescence and young adulthood, and addressing barriers to help-seeking for alcohol and other drug problems, including stigma. To date, she has authored >40 peer-reviewed publications in leading addiction and psychiatry and mental health journals, collectively cited >2600 times.
She has experience coordinating large complex projects to inform health system change and the use of hybrid implementation-effectiveness research methods that involve close collaboration with consumer, community, and government stakeholders. Current projects include national scale-up of a pharmacist-prescriber collaborative model of care for Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (EPIC-MATOD); co-designing a scalable school-based program to facilitate help-seeking for substance use and mental health problems (MAKINGtheLINK); and updating the 2004 Principles for School Drug Education, including a systematic review of the drug education literature and development of a school-based resource and implementation guide.
Research interests
- Addiction
- Opioids
- Dependence
- Treatment
- Substance use
- Comorbidity
Research area keywords
- addiction
- opioid
- dependence
- treatment
- substance use
- comorbidity
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Tracking Trauma to Transform Treatment - The experience of trauma in people receiving treatment for opioid dependence and their preferences for treatment.
MacCartney, P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Membrey, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cook, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Naren, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Nielsen, S. (Chief Investigator (CI))
15/08/25 → 31/07/26
Project: Research
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Co-designing pain management with people in opioid dependence treatment
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Davies, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ashton-James, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dowla, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lim, M. S. C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Murnion, B. P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Glare, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Yang, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lord, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dietze, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Higgs, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rowland, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), MacCartney, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Picco, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Crawford, S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Lubman, D. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Fischer, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Fyfield, L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Demirkol, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Petrie, D. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/07/25 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Upscaling a pharmacist-prescriber model of collaborative care for Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) to address Australia’s treatment shortage.
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Nissen, L. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Jackson, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rowland, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Petrie, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Armstrong, F. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Morgan, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Lord, S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Wood, P. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Muir Wilson, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Winmill, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tassone, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), McMaugh, J. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Crawford, S. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Lingham, V. (Partner Investigator (PI))
1/04/25 → 31/03/29
Project: Research
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MTL: Co-designing an evidence-informed, scalable school-based program to promote help-seeking for substance use problems
Lubman, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Olivier, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Grove, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Waddell, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Rowland, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McNaney, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Xie, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Matar, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Rickwood, D. J. (Associate Investigator (AI))
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (Australia), Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF), Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation Ltd, Turning Point
1/03/24 → 29/02/28
Project: Research
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Evidence Check: Supporting the update of the NSW Clinical Guidelines for Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT)
Nielsen, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Bragge, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cheetham, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tsering, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Delafosse, V. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Lam, T. (Chief Investigator (CI))
21/07/25 → 31/10/25
Project: Research
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A multisite pilot type 2 hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of a community pharmacist-led model of collaborative care for Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence: outcomes of the EPIC-MATOD trial
Nielsen, S. (Leading Author), Graham, F., Hadi, M. H., Grist, E., Rowland, B., Jackson, J., Lord, S., Dostal, J., Wood, P., Morgan, K., Petrie, D. & Cheetham, A. (Leading Author), Feb 2026, In: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 22, 2, p. 292-310 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Designing integrated, trauma-informed care pathways for co-occurring addiction and trauma: Insights from two interrelated co-design workshops
McGee, T., Read, I., Heiss, L., Daly, S., Oliver, K., Cheetham, A., Hart, I., Pilcher, C., Couineau, A.-L. & Arunogiri, S., 2026, DRS2026: Edinburgh. Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M. & Buwert, P. (eds.). Edinburgh United Kingdom: Design Research Society, 18 p. (Proceedings of DRS; vol. 2026).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Complex trauma and perceived barriers to treatment among people accessing a supervised injecting facility
Cheetham, A. (Leading Author), Lubman, D. I., Lam, T., Grist, E., Barnett, A., Arunogiri, S. (Leading Author) & Nielsen, S. (Leading Author), 2025, In: European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 16, 1, 12 p., 2558241.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Pharmacist-led collaborative care for MATOD is feasible, acceptable, cost- effective & delivers a high standard of care: A multisite implementation-efficacy trial of a community pharmacist-led model of collaborative care for Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence: outcomes of the EPIC-MATOD trial
Nielsen, S., Graham, F., Hadi, M. H., Grist, E., Rowland, B. C., Jackson, J., Lord, S., Dostal, J., Wood, P., Morgan, K., Petrie, D. & Cheetham, A., 5 Jun 2025. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Scaling up a collaborative care model for MATOD in Australia: Clinical and regulatory considerations
Cheetham, A., Dostal, J., Nissen, L. M., Jackson, J., Rowland, B. C., Petrie, D., Lord, S. & Nielsen, S., 10 Nov 2025. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
Activities
- 9 Contribution to conference
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Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2025
Moreton, J. (Speaker), Clark, G. (Speaker), Oliver, K. (Speaker), Cheetham, A. (Speaker), Hart, I. (Speaker) & Arunogiri, S. (Speaker)
9 Nov 2025 → 12 Nov 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2025
Oliver, K. (Organiser), Arunogiri, S. (Organiser), Cheetham, A. (Organiser), Mcgee, T. (Organiser), Heiss, L. (Speaker), Killen, A. (Speaker) & Lubman, D. (Speaker)
9 Nov 2025 → 12 Nov 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Victorian Alcohol & Drug Association Conference 2025
Oliver, K. (Organiser), Arunogiri, S. (Speaker), Cheetham, A. (Speaker), Mcgee, T. (Organiser), Heiss, L. (Organiser), Killen, A. (Organiser) & Lubman, D. (Organiser)
13 Feb 2025 → 14 Feb 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Evidence and Implementation Summit 2025
Oliver, K. (Organiser), Cheetham, A. (Organiser), Mcgee, T. (Organiser), Heiss, L. (Organiser), Killen, A. (Organiser), Lubman, D. (Organiser) & Arunogiri, S. (Organiser)
27 Oct 2025 → 29 Oct 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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VAADA Victorian AOD Service Providers Conference
Nielsen, S. (Organiser), Cheetham, A. (Speaker), Grist, E. (Organiser), Petrie, D. (Organiser), Jackson, J. (Organiser), Lord, S. (Organiser), Jacka, D. (Organiser) & Morgan, K. (Speaker)
17 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference